Pierrot Le Fou(dir. Jean-Luc Godard)
REVIEW PENDING...
**** out of ****
Showing posts with label 1960's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1960's. Show all posts
Monday, June 16, 2008
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Oh 1966...
1966
1. Masculine, feminin(dir. Jean-Luc Godard)
2. Battle of Algiers(dir. Gillo Pontecorvo)
3. The Face of Another(dir. Hiroshi Teshigahara)
4. The Pornographers
5. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly(dir. Sergio Leone)
6. Cheyenne Autumn(dir. John Ford)
7. El Dorado(dir. Howard Hawks)
Need to see/rewatch: Au Hashard Balthazar, Persona, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Blowup, A Man for All Seasons, Torn Curtain, The Wild Angels, Fahrenheit 451, and more...
1. Masculine, feminin(dir. Jean-Luc Godard)
2. Battle of Algiers(dir. Gillo Pontecorvo)
3. The Face of Another(dir. Hiroshi Teshigahara)
4. The Pornographers
5. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly(dir. Sergio Leone)
6. Cheyenne Autumn(dir. John Ford)
7. El Dorado(dir. Howard Hawks)
Need to see/rewatch: Au Hashard Balthazar, Persona, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Blowup, A Man for All Seasons, Torn Curtain, The Wild Angels, Fahrenheit 451, and more...
Friday, February 08, 2008
Oh Injuns...
Cheyenne Autumn(dir. John Ford)
He used this film as a way to atone for some of his sins as a filmmaker relating to the portrayal of Indians in his previous work and ended up making probably his most politically incorrect and offensive film to most viewers and fans today. I wasn't offended, but it's easy to understand how someone would be offended by the film and be unable to defend it as wholeheartedly as his earlier work because of the use of Latino actors for the roles of Indians. Maybe, during the time when films like Guess Who's Coming to Dinner were considered cutting edge socially conscious cinema, this was considered noble and important, but now, it's hard not to look at it with disdain for such a ridiculous move on the filmmakers' part. However, I can't look at the film too negatively mainly because of recent examples in cinema(Memoirs of a Geisha, I'm looking at you) that are even more offensive and ridiculous in their casting and given the time it was released, it's hard to criticize Ford's sentiment, even if the Indians are predictably portrayed as noble victims instead of full-rounded characters in the film. Being a Ford fan, the idea of a film directed by him with a truly epic running time is especially enticing and even if this film doesn't rank among his best work, it's still a fascinating watch much in the same way as a film like Southland Tales is. As a cohesive whole, it might not work as well as one would like, but for the sum of its parts like a memorable comedic interlude with James Stewart playing an amusingly apathetic Wyatt Earp, it definitely warrants a watch. I recommend.
*** out of ****
He used this film as a way to atone for some of his sins as a filmmaker relating to the portrayal of Indians in his previous work and ended up making probably his most politically incorrect and offensive film to most viewers and fans today. I wasn't offended, but it's easy to understand how someone would be offended by the film and be unable to defend it as wholeheartedly as his earlier work because of the use of Latino actors for the roles of Indians. Maybe, during the time when films like Guess Who's Coming to Dinner were considered cutting edge socially conscious cinema, this was considered noble and important, but now, it's hard not to look at it with disdain for such a ridiculous move on the filmmakers' part. However, I can't look at the film too negatively mainly because of recent examples in cinema(Memoirs of a Geisha, I'm looking at you) that are even more offensive and ridiculous in their casting and given the time it was released, it's hard to criticize Ford's sentiment, even if the Indians are predictably portrayed as noble victims instead of full-rounded characters in the film. Being a Ford fan, the idea of a film directed by him with a truly epic running time is especially enticing and even if this film doesn't rank among his best work, it's still a fascinating watch much in the same way as a film like Southland Tales is. As a cohesive whole, it might not work as well as one would like, but for the sum of its parts like a memorable comedic interlude with James Stewart playing an amusingly apathetic Wyatt Earp, it definitely warrants a watch. I recommend.
*** out of ****
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Oh Oates and Carrandine...
The Shooting(dir. Monte Hellman)
I have never seen a film with expansive American desert as it's backdrop that felt so claustrophobic. The whole experience is one of disorientation with Hellman sometimes transitioning from a scene in an abrupt and perplexing manner. Much like the film's protagonist, the viewer has to always be on his/her toes since the journey is unexpected yet somehow feels entirely premeditated. The film's setting is really the star of the film and not Warren Oates, who still gives a good performance despite not being the star. It's shot in such a fashion that makes it so drab and unflattering that it makes all the recent films set in the desert look childish in comparison. The desert truly looks like purgatory, waiting to suffocate it's inhabitants. The editing of it's fatalistic ending is haunting in it's sun-drenched and off-beat rhythm. This is how you make an existential western. It's a masterpiece.
**** out of ****
Welcome to L.A.(dir. Alan Rudolph)
At first, it was sort of charming in it's romantic Altman-esque tapestry, but as it went along, you quickly realize how much of a master Altman was with juggling the characters and progressing the narratives in his films. The film just eventually became as aimless as its characters' love lives. Keith Carradine could be considered the main character and he essentially plays his womanizing character from Nashville in a less despicable manner with no mustache, just goatee. The whole film feels like a sub-par Nashville with characters that never feel wholly etched out and music that starts off fine but quickly becomes grating because of its repetitive sounding quality and it being overused past the point of tolerance. The film became repetitious and basically went nowhere. It has no idea what to do with it's vast repertoire of characters other than having them sometimes hook up with each other. It was bad.
*1/2 out of ****
I have never seen a film with expansive American desert as it's backdrop that felt so claustrophobic. The whole experience is one of disorientation with Hellman sometimes transitioning from a scene in an abrupt and perplexing manner. Much like the film's protagonist, the viewer has to always be on his/her toes since the journey is unexpected yet somehow feels entirely premeditated. The film's setting is really the star of the film and not Warren Oates, who still gives a good performance despite not being the star. It's shot in such a fashion that makes it so drab and unflattering that it makes all the recent films set in the desert look childish in comparison. The desert truly looks like purgatory, waiting to suffocate it's inhabitants. The editing of it's fatalistic ending is haunting in it's sun-drenched and off-beat rhythm. This is how you make an existential western. It's a masterpiece.
**** out of ****
Welcome to L.A.(dir. Alan Rudolph)
At first, it was sort of charming in it's romantic Altman-esque tapestry, but as it went along, you quickly realize how much of a master Altman was with juggling the characters and progressing the narratives in his films. The film just eventually became as aimless as its characters' love lives. Keith Carradine could be considered the main character and he essentially plays his womanizing character from Nashville in a less despicable manner with no mustache, just goatee. The whole film feels like a sub-par Nashville with characters that never feel wholly etched out and music that starts off fine but quickly becomes grating because of its repetitive sounding quality and it being overused past the point of tolerance. The film became repetitious and basically went nowhere. It has no idea what to do with it's vast repertoire of characters other than having them sometimes hook up with each other. It was bad.
*1/2 out of ****
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Oh 1967...
1967
1. Titicut Follies(dir. Frederick Wiseman)
2. Branded to Kill(dir. Seijun Suzuki)
3. Mouchette(dir. Robert Bresson)
4. Le Samourai(dir. Jean-Pierre Melville)
5. Belle De Jour(dir. Luis Bunuel)
6. Point Blank(dir. John Boorman)
7. The Shooting(dir. Monte Hellman)
8. Bonnie and Clyde(dir. Arthur Penn)
9. The Dirty Dozen(dir. Robert Aldrich)
Need to see: Playtime, Weekend, Scattered Clouds, The Red and the White, Samurai Rebellion, 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her, The Young Girls of Rochefort, The Jungle Book(rewatch), Hombre, In the Heat of the Night, Who's That Knocking at My Door, A Man Vanishes, and more...
Dishonorable mentions: The Graduate, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, and more...
1. Titicut Follies(dir. Frederick Wiseman)
2. Branded to Kill(dir. Seijun Suzuki)
3. Mouchette(dir. Robert Bresson)
4. Le Samourai(dir. Jean-Pierre Melville)
5. Belle De Jour(dir. Luis Bunuel)
6. Point Blank(dir. John Boorman)
7. The Shooting(dir. Monte Hellman)
8. Bonnie and Clyde(dir. Arthur Penn)
9. The Dirty Dozen(dir. Robert Aldrich)
Need to see: Playtime, Weekend, Scattered Clouds, The Red and the White, Samurai Rebellion, 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her, The Young Girls of Rochefort, The Jungle Book(rewatch), Hombre, In the Heat of the Night, Who's That Knocking at My Door, A Man Vanishes, and more...
Dishonorable mentions: The Graduate, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, and more...
Oh 1964...
1964
1. Woman in the Dunes(dir. Hiroshi Teshigahara)
2. Pale Flower(dir. Masahiro Shinoda)
3. Dr. Strangelove(dir. Stanley Kubrick)
4. The Pawnbroker(dir. Sidney Lumet)
5. The Naked Kiss(dir. Samuel Fuller)
Band of Outsiders(dir. Jean-Luc Godard)
Need to see: I Am Cuba, Mary Poppins(rewatch), The Red Desert, Marnie, A Hard Day's Night, Blood and Black Lace, A Fistful of Dollars, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte, Onibaba, Kwaidan, Intentions of Murder, Goldfinger, Fail-Safe, and more...
1. Woman in the Dunes(dir. Hiroshi Teshigahara)
2. Pale Flower(dir. Masahiro Shinoda)
3. Dr. Strangelove(dir. Stanley Kubrick)
4. The Pawnbroker(dir. Sidney Lumet)
5. The Naked Kiss(dir. Samuel Fuller)
Band of Outsiders(dir. Jean-Luc Godard)
Need to see: I Am Cuba, Mary Poppins(rewatch), The Red Desert, Marnie, A Hard Day's Night, Blood and Black Lace, A Fistful of Dollars, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte, Onibaba, Kwaidan, Intentions of Murder, Goldfinger, Fail-Safe, and more...
Oh Bob Dylan and Some Japanese Composer...
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid[2005 cut](dir. Sam Peckinpah)
I wasn't a big fan of The Wild Bunch, which is the only film directed by Peckinpah I've had the pleasure to see. Much like Seven Samurai, a film I personally feel is overrated, it's overlong and contains a group of individuals that are never feel fully fleshed out even when all the time spent before their respective "showdown" is supposed to be time for "character development," but their characters never end up making a dent presence-wise so the time spent "developing" them mainly numbs the mind. This film, however, is simply incredible. It's the best revisionist western I've ever seen. I'd imagine seeing an earlier cut might change my mind about Peckinpah's genius with this film since this cut was made by people "following" Peckinpah's wishes even though they essentially overrode "his vision" and constructed, from what I've read, a tighter and better film. While The Wild Bunch was mainly an ugly vision of the old west, this is an elegiac vision filled with both beauty as well as ugliness, but mainly beauty. I dare anyone to watch Slim Pickens' character's death and not be moved by it's awe-inspiring poetry. The picture is nihilistic but in a more subtle and invigorating way than say No Country for Old Men. Both films focus on death, but this film's ability to make a peripheral character's death like Slim Pickens' seem monumentally tragic yet inevitable shows what's truly wrong with that film. I fucking love this.
**** out of ****
Pale Flower(dir. Masahiro Shinoda)
It doesn't come close to some of Seijun Suzuki's yakuza masterpieces, but that doesn't mean it's not invigorating and plus it doesn't even attempt to operate in the same realm as his films. It mainly plays ike Albert Camus' The Stranger with a hint of In a Lonely Place and Kiss Me Deadly set in Japan and with a yakuza instead of some French dude. I don't know why I was reminded of Kiss Me Deadly. Maybe all the car imagery? I guess In a Lonely Place is more apt with it's car imagery especially in concern with the whole speeding scene in this film reminding me of Bogart's character's speeding scene in that film except the one found here is more playful and harmless. This film is also nihilistic much like the picture above, but it's nihilism is viewed through the prism of a doomed and unfulfilled romance instead of a man trying to adapt to his harsh environment by basically selling his soul. It's not nearly as tragic as In a Lonely Place mainly because their romance never truly blossoms and disintegrates like the one found in that film, just the chance of it disintegrates. The main characters in this film and the one above both use killing almost as a form of spiritual suicide and subsequently a form of survival and coping. While the film above is more moving, it's hard to look at this film and label it as a minor work of any kind. Sure, it's not as intense and memorable as Double Suicide or the film above, but it still makes for a really good watch. I highly recommend.
***1/2 out of ****
I wasn't a big fan of The Wild Bunch, which is the only film directed by Peckinpah I've had the pleasure to see. Much like Seven Samurai, a film I personally feel is overrated, it's overlong and contains a group of individuals that are never feel fully fleshed out even when all the time spent before their respective "showdown" is supposed to be time for "character development," but their characters never end up making a dent presence-wise so the time spent "developing" them mainly numbs the mind. This film, however, is simply incredible. It's the best revisionist western I've ever seen. I'd imagine seeing an earlier cut might change my mind about Peckinpah's genius with this film since this cut was made by people "following" Peckinpah's wishes even though they essentially overrode "his vision" and constructed, from what I've read, a tighter and better film. While The Wild Bunch was mainly an ugly vision of the old west, this is an elegiac vision filled with both beauty as well as ugliness, but mainly beauty. I dare anyone to watch Slim Pickens' character's death and not be moved by it's awe-inspiring poetry. The picture is nihilistic but in a more subtle and invigorating way than say No Country for Old Men. Both films focus on death, but this film's ability to make a peripheral character's death like Slim Pickens' seem monumentally tragic yet inevitable shows what's truly wrong with that film. I fucking love this.
**** out of ****
Pale Flower(dir. Masahiro Shinoda)
It doesn't come close to some of Seijun Suzuki's yakuza masterpieces, but that doesn't mean it's not invigorating and plus it doesn't even attempt to operate in the same realm as his films. It mainly plays ike Albert Camus' The Stranger with a hint of In a Lonely Place and Kiss Me Deadly set in Japan and with a yakuza instead of some French dude. I don't know why I was reminded of Kiss Me Deadly. Maybe all the car imagery? I guess In a Lonely Place is more apt with it's car imagery especially in concern with the whole speeding scene in this film reminding me of Bogart's character's speeding scene in that film except the one found here is more playful and harmless. This film is also nihilistic much like the picture above, but it's nihilism is viewed through the prism of a doomed and unfulfilled romance instead of a man trying to adapt to his harsh environment by basically selling his soul. It's not nearly as tragic as In a Lonely Place mainly because their romance never truly blossoms and disintegrates like the one found in that film, just the chance of it disintegrates. The main characters in this film and the one above both use killing almost as a form of spiritual suicide and subsequently a form of survival and coping. While the film above is more moving, it's hard to look at this film and label it as a minor work of any kind. Sure, it's not as intense and memorable as Double Suicide or the film above, but it still makes for a really good watch. I highly recommend.
***1/2 out of ****
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Oh Decade Lists...
Going to do Top 10's for decades and put it on here:
2000's(one film per director with some either or's since I feel I need to rewatch some of these)
1. Lilya 4-Ever(dir. Lukas Moodysson)
2. Miami Vice(dir. Michael Mann)
3. Fay Grim(dir. Hal Hartley)
4. Pistol Opera(dir. Seijun Suzuki)
5. The New World(dir. Terrence Malick)
6. Platform(dir. Jia Zhangke)[Not sure if I should put this here or below Mulholland Dr.]
7. Mulholland Dr.(dir. David Lynch)
8. The Royal Tenenbaums(dir. Wes Anderson)
9. Millenium Mambo(dir. Hou Hsiao-Hsien)[It feels strange rating one of his films higher than Tsai's, but Tsai's 90's output easily trumps Hou's best]
10. What Time Is It There? or Goodbye, Dragon Inn(dir. Tsai Ming-Liang)[Not sure which is better because I feel Time is overrated and Goodbye is underrated]
Honorable mentions: Last Life in the Universe(dir. Pen-Ek Ratanaruang), Little Children(dir. Todd Field), Marie Antoinette or Lost in Translation(dir. Sofia Coppola), Kill Bill Vol. 2(dir. Quentin Tarantino)[maybe?], George Washington(dir. David Gordon Green), Morvern Callar(dir. Lynne Ramsay)[maybe?], 2046(dir. Wong Kar-Wai)[maybe?], and more...
2000's(by year)
2000. Platform(dir. Jia Zhang Ke)
2001. Mulholland Dr.(dir. David Lynch)
2002. Femme Fatale(dir. Brian De Palma)
2003. Lilya 4-Ever(dir. Lukas Moodysson)
2004. Goodbye, Dragon Inn(dir. Tsai Ming-liang)
2005. The New World(dir. Terrence Malick)
2006. Miami Vice(dir. Michael Mann)
2007. Fay Grim(dir. Hal Hartley)
1990's(no limit per director)
1. Henry Fool(dir. Hal Hartley)
2. Simple Men(dir. Hal Hartley)
3. Trust(dir. Hal Hartley)
4. Show Me Love/Fucking Åmål(dir. Lukas Moodysson)
5. The Hole(dir. Tsai Ming-Liang)
6. Heat(dir. Michael Mann)
7. Lessons of Darkness(dir. Werner Herzog)
8. Chungking Express(dir. Wong Kar-Wai)
9. First Comes Love(dir. Su Friedrich)
10. Small Deaths(dir. Lynne Ramsay)
Honorable mentions: Wonderland(dir. Michael Winterbottom), Dead Man(dir. Jim Jarmusch), The Wind Will Carry Us(dir. Abbas Kiarostami), The Sweet Hereafter(dir. Atom Egoyan), Rebels of the Neon God(dir. Tsai Ming-Liang), Magnolia(dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)[maybe?], The Player or Short Cuts(dir. Robert Altman), The Lion King(dir. Roger Allers & Rob Minkoff)[maybe?] Light Sleeper(dir. Paul Schrader)[maybe?], Clueless(dir. Amy Heckerling)[maybe?], Little Dieter Needs to Fly(dir. Werner Herzog), The Big Lebowski(dir. Coens Brothers)[slightly?], King of New York(dir. Abel Ferrara)[maybe?], Hard-Boiled(dir. John Woo)[maybe?], Barcelona(dir. Whit Stillman), Clueless(dir. Amy Heckerling), and more...
1990's(one film per director this time)
1. Henry Fool(dir. Hal Hartley)
2. Show Me Love/Fucking Åmål(dir. Lukas Moodysson)
3. The Hole(dir. Tsai Ming-liang)
4. Heat(dir. Michael Mann)
5. Lessons of Darkness(dir. Werner Herzog)
6. Chungking Express(dir. Wong Kar-wai)
7. First Comes Love(dir. Su Friedrich)
8. Small Deaths(dir. Lynne Ramsay)
9. Barcelona(dir. Whit Stillman)
10. The Player(dir. Robert Altman)
1990's(by year)
1990. Die Hard 2: Die Harder(dir. ?)
1991. Trust(dir. Hal Hartley)
1992. Simple Men(dir. Hal Hartley)
1993. Short Cuts(dir. Robert Altman)
1994. Chungking Express(dir. Wong Kar-Wai)
1995. Heat(dir. Michael Mann)
1996. Dead Man(dir. Jim Jarmusch)
1997. The Sweet Hereafter(dir. Atom Egoyan)
1998. Henry Fool(dir. Hal Hartley)
1999. Show Me Love(dir. Lukas Moodysson)
1980's(no limit per director)
1. L'Argent(dir. Robert Bresson)
2. The Sacrifice(dir. Andrei Tarkovsky)
3. Damned If You Don't(dir. Su Friedrich)
4. The Ties That Bind(dir. Su Friedrich)
5. Choose Me(dir. Alan Rudolph)
6. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters(dir. Paul Schrader)
7. Down By Law(dir. Jim Jarmusch)
8. Paris, Texas(dir. Wim Wenders)
9. Landscape in the Mist(dir. Theo Angelopoulos)
10. Do the Right Thing(dir. Spike Lee)
Honorable mentions: Day of the Dead(dir. George A. Romero), Dekalog Six(dir. Krzysztof Kieslowski), Full Metal Jacket(dir. Stanley Kubrick)[maybe?], White Dog or The Big Red One(dir. Samuel Fuller)[maybe?] and more...
1970's(one film per director)
1. A Woman Under the Influence(dir. John Cassavetes)
2. Hospital(dir. Frederick Wiseman)
3. The Mirror(dir. Andrei Tarkovsky)
4. M*A*S*H(dir. Robert Altman)
5. Days of Heaven(dir. Terrence Malick)
6. Suspiria(dir. Dario Argento)
7. Aguirre, the Wrath of God(dir. Werner Herzog)
8. The Passenger(dir. Michelangelo Antonioni)
9. Killer of Sheep(dir. Charles Burnett)
10. Lancelot of the Lake(dir. Robert Bresson)
Honorable mentions: Apocalypse Now, The Marriage of Maria Braun
1960's(one film per director for now)
1. Titicut Follies(dir. Frederick Wiseman)
2. Woman in the Dunes(dir. Hiroshi Teshigahara)
3. Masculin, feminin(dir. Jean-Luc Godard)
4. Branded to Kill(dir. Seijun Suzuki)
5. The Battle of Algiers(dir. Gillo Pontrevico)
6. Double Suicide(dir. Masahiro Shinoda)
7. Scorpio Rising(dir. Kenneth Anger)
8. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance(dir. John Ford)
9. 8 1/2 or La Dolce Vita(dir. Federico Fellini)
10. Mouchette(dir. Robert Bresson)
Honorable mentions: Harakiri(dir. Masaki Kobayashi), Rocco and His Brothers(dir. Luchino Visconti), Winter Light(dir. Ingmar Bergman), Andrei Rublev(dir. Andrei Tarkovsky), The Pawnbroker(dir. Sidney Lumet), 2001: A Space Oddysey or Dr. Strangelove(dir. Stanley Kubrick), Psycho or The Birds(dir. Alfred Hitchcock), The Naked Kiss(dir. Samuel Fuller), and more...
1950's
1. In a Lonely Place(dir. Nicholas Ray)
2. Ace in the Hole(dir. Billy Wilder)
3. On Dangerous Ground(dir. Nicholas Ray)
4. Shadows(dir. John Cassavetes)
5. The Searchers(dir. John Ford)
6. Ashes and Diamonds(dir. Andzrej Wajda)
7. The Killing(dir. Stanley Kubrick)
8. Rear Window(dir. Alfred Hitchcock)
9. Vertigo(dir. Alfred Hitchcock)
10. Diary of a Country Priest(dir. Robert Bresson)
Honorable mentions: The Big Heat(dir. Fritz Lang), Kiss Me Deadly(dir. Robert Aldrich), The Steel Helmet(dir. Samuel Fuller)[maybe?], The Seventh Seal(dir. Ingmar Bergman), Hiroshima, Mon Amour(dir. Alain Resnais), and others that I most likely forgot about...
1950's(by year)
1950. In a Lonely Place(dir. Nicholas Ray)
1951. Ace in the Hole(dir. Billy Wilder)
1952. On Dangerous Ground(dir. Nicholas Ray)
1959. Shadows(dir. John Cassavetes)
1940's
1. My Darling Clementine(dir. John Ford)
2. The Lady From Shanghai(dir. Orson Welles)
1930's
1. You Only Live Once(dir. Fritz Lang)
2. Vampyr(dir. Carl Theodor Dreyer)
3. The Grand Illusion(dir. Jean Renoir)
4. Rules of the Game(dir. Jean Renoir)
UPDATE:
2000's(excluding 2008 release):
[i]The New World[/i][Extended Cut](dir. Terrence Malick)
[i]Miami Vice[/i](dir. Michael Mann)
[i]Fay Grim[/i](dir. Hal Hartley)
[i]Pat Garett and Billy the Kid[/i][2005 Cut](dir. Sam Peckinpah)
[i]George Washington[/i](dir. David Gordon Green)
[i]Mulholland Drive[/i](dir. David Lynch)
[i]Femme Fatale[/i](dir. Brian De Palma)
[i]Marie Antoinette[/i](dir. Sofia Coppola)
[i]Punch-Drunk Love[/i](dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)
[i]Pistol Opera[/i](dir. Seijun Suzuki)
[i]Lilya 4-Ever[/i](dir. Lukas Moodysson)
[i]INLAND EMPIRE[/i](dir. David Lynch)
[i]Death Proof[/i](dir. Quentin Tarantino)
[i]Platform[/i](dir. Jia Zhangke)
[i]Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy[/i](dir. Adam McKay)
[i]Twentynine Palms[/i](dir. Bruno Dumont)
[i]L'Enfant[/i](dir. Dardenne Brothers)
[i]The Girl From Monday[/i](dir. Hal Hartley)
[i]2046[/i](dir. Wong Kar-wai)
1990's:
[i]Henry Fool[/i](dir. Hal Hartley)
[i]Trust[/i](dir. Hal Hartley)
[i]Simple Men[/i](dir. Hal Hartley)
[i]Heat[/i](dir. Michael Mann)
[i]Clueless[/i](dir. Amy Heckerling)
[i]The Hole[/i](dir. Tsai Ming-liang)
[i]Vive L'Amour[/i](dir. Tsai Ming-liang)
[i]Rebels of the Neon God[/i](dir. Tsai Ming-liang)
[i]Show Me Love[/i]/[i]Fucking Åmål[/i](dir. Lukas Moodysson)
[i]First Comes Love[/i](dir. Su Friedrich)
[i]Small Deaths[/i](dir. Lynne Ramsay)
[i]Chungking Express[/i](dir. Wong Kar-wai)
[i]The Big Lebowski[/i](dir. Coen Brothers)
[i]Hard Boiled[/i](dir. John Woo)
[i]King of New York[/i](dir. Abel Ferrara)
1980's:
[i]Choose Me[/i](dir. Alan Rudolph)
[i]Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom[/i](dir. Steven Spielberg)
[i]Paris, Texas[/i](dir. Wim Wenders)
[i]L'Argent[/i](dir. Robert Bresson)
[i]The Sacrifice[/i](dir. Andrei Tarkovsky)
[i]The Ties That Bind[/i](dir. Su Friedrich)
1960's
[i]Titicut Follies[/i](dir. Frederick Wiseman)
[i]Woman in the Dunes[/i](dir. Hiroshi Teshigahara)
[i]Branded to Kill[/i](dir. Seijun Suzuki)
[i]Tokyo Drifter[/i](dir. Seijun Suzuki)
[i]Double Suicide[/i](dir. Masahiro Shinoda)
[i]The Wild Bunch[/i](dir. Sam Peckinpah)
[i]The Battle of Algiers[/i](dir. Gillo Pontrevico)
[i]Masculin, feminin[/i](dir. Jean-Luc Godard)
[i]Pierrot le Fou[/i](dir. Jean-Luc Godard)
[i]Andrei Rublev[/i](dir. Andrei Tarkovsky)
[i]Scorpio Rising[/i](dir. Kenneth Anger)
[i]Harakiri[/i](dir. Masaki Kobayashi)
[i]Rocco and His Brothers[/i](dir. Luchino Visconti)
[i]Mouchette[/i](dir. Robert Bresson)
[i]Through a Glass Darkly[/i](dir. Ingmar Bergman)
1950's
[i]In a Lonely Place[/i](dir. Nicholas Ray)
[i]Ace in the Hole[/i](dir. Billy Wilder)
[i]The Big Heat[/i](dir. Fritz Lang)
2000's(one film per director with some either or's since I feel I need to rewatch some of these)
1. Lilya 4-Ever(dir. Lukas Moodysson)
2. Miami Vice(dir. Michael Mann)
3. Fay Grim(dir. Hal Hartley)
4. Pistol Opera(dir. Seijun Suzuki)
5. The New World(dir. Terrence Malick)
6. Platform(dir. Jia Zhangke)[Not sure if I should put this here or below Mulholland Dr.]
7. Mulholland Dr.(dir. David Lynch)
8. The Royal Tenenbaums(dir. Wes Anderson)
9. Millenium Mambo(dir. Hou Hsiao-Hsien)[It feels strange rating one of his films higher than Tsai's, but Tsai's 90's output easily trumps Hou's best]
10. What Time Is It There? or Goodbye, Dragon Inn(dir. Tsai Ming-Liang)[Not sure which is better because I feel Time is overrated and Goodbye is underrated]
Honorable mentions: Last Life in the Universe(dir. Pen-Ek Ratanaruang), Little Children(dir. Todd Field), Marie Antoinette or Lost in Translation(dir. Sofia Coppola), Kill Bill Vol. 2(dir. Quentin Tarantino)[maybe?], George Washington(dir. David Gordon Green), Morvern Callar(dir. Lynne Ramsay)[maybe?], 2046(dir. Wong Kar-Wai)[maybe?], and more...
2000's(by year)
2000. Platform(dir. Jia Zhang Ke)
2001. Mulholland Dr.(dir. David Lynch)
2002. Femme Fatale(dir. Brian De Palma)
2003. Lilya 4-Ever(dir. Lukas Moodysson)
2004. Goodbye, Dragon Inn(dir. Tsai Ming-liang)
2005. The New World(dir. Terrence Malick)
2006. Miami Vice(dir. Michael Mann)
2007. Fay Grim(dir. Hal Hartley)
1990's(no limit per director)
1. Henry Fool(dir. Hal Hartley)
2. Simple Men(dir. Hal Hartley)
3. Trust(dir. Hal Hartley)
4. Show Me Love/Fucking Åmål(dir. Lukas Moodysson)
5. The Hole(dir. Tsai Ming-Liang)
6. Heat(dir. Michael Mann)
7. Lessons of Darkness(dir. Werner Herzog)
8. Chungking Express(dir. Wong Kar-Wai)
9. First Comes Love(dir. Su Friedrich)
10. Small Deaths(dir. Lynne Ramsay)
Honorable mentions: Wonderland(dir. Michael Winterbottom), Dead Man(dir. Jim Jarmusch), The Wind Will Carry Us(dir. Abbas Kiarostami), The Sweet Hereafter(dir. Atom Egoyan), Rebels of the Neon God(dir. Tsai Ming-Liang), Magnolia(dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)[maybe?], The Player or Short Cuts(dir. Robert Altman), The Lion King(dir. Roger Allers & Rob Minkoff)[maybe?] Light Sleeper(dir. Paul Schrader)[maybe?], Clueless(dir. Amy Heckerling)[maybe?], Little Dieter Needs to Fly(dir. Werner Herzog), The Big Lebowski(dir. Coens Brothers)[slightly?], King of New York(dir. Abel Ferrara)[maybe?], Hard-Boiled(dir. John Woo)[maybe?], Barcelona(dir. Whit Stillman), Clueless(dir. Amy Heckerling), and more...
1990's(one film per director this time)
1. Henry Fool(dir. Hal Hartley)
2. Show Me Love/Fucking Åmål(dir. Lukas Moodysson)
3. The Hole(dir. Tsai Ming-liang)
4. Heat(dir. Michael Mann)
5. Lessons of Darkness(dir. Werner Herzog)
6. Chungking Express(dir. Wong Kar-wai)
7. First Comes Love(dir. Su Friedrich)
8. Small Deaths(dir. Lynne Ramsay)
9. Barcelona(dir. Whit Stillman)
10. The Player(dir. Robert Altman)
1990's(by year)
1990. Die Hard 2: Die Harder(dir. ?)
1991. Trust(dir. Hal Hartley)
1992. Simple Men(dir. Hal Hartley)
1993. Short Cuts(dir. Robert Altman)
1994. Chungking Express(dir. Wong Kar-Wai)
1995. Heat(dir. Michael Mann)
1996. Dead Man(dir. Jim Jarmusch)
1997. The Sweet Hereafter(dir. Atom Egoyan)
1998. Henry Fool(dir. Hal Hartley)
1999. Show Me Love(dir. Lukas Moodysson)
1980's(no limit per director)
1. L'Argent(dir. Robert Bresson)
2. The Sacrifice(dir. Andrei Tarkovsky)
3. Damned If You Don't(dir. Su Friedrich)
4. The Ties That Bind(dir. Su Friedrich)
5. Choose Me(dir. Alan Rudolph)
6. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters(dir. Paul Schrader)
7. Down By Law(dir. Jim Jarmusch)
8. Paris, Texas(dir. Wim Wenders)
9. Landscape in the Mist(dir. Theo Angelopoulos)
10. Do the Right Thing(dir. Spike Lee)
Honorable mentions: Day of the Dead(dir. George A. Romero), Dekalog Six(dir. Krzysztof Kieslowski), Full Metal Jacket(dir. Stanley Kubrick)[maybe?], White Dog or The Big Red One(dir. Samuel Fuller)[maybe?] and more...
1970's(one film per director)
1. A Woman Under the Influence(dir. John Cassavetes)
2. Hospital(dir. Frederick Wiseman)
3. The Mirror(dir. Andrei Tarkovsky)
4. M*A*S*H(dir. Robert Altman)
5. Days of Heaven(dir. Terrence Malick)
6. Suspiria(dir. Dario Argento)
7. Aguirre, the Wrath of God(dir. Werner Herzog)
8. The Passenger(dir. Michelangelo Antonioni)
9. Killer of Sheep(dir. Charles Burnett)
10. Lancelot of the Lake(dir. Robert Bresson)
Honorable mentions: Apocalypse Now, The Marriage of Maria Braun
1960's(one film per director for now)
1. Titicut Follies(dir. Frederick Wiseman)
2. Woman in the Dunes(dir. Hiroshi Teshigahara)
3. Masculin, feminin(dir. Jean-Luc Godard)
4. Branded to Kill(dir. Seijun Suzuki)
5. The Battle of Algiers(dir. Gillo Pontrevico)
6. Double Suicide(dir. Masahiro Shinoda)
7. Scorpio Rising(dir. Kenneth Anger)
8. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance(dir. John Ford)
9. 8 1/2 or La Dolce Vita(dir. Federico Fellini)
10. Mouchette(dir. Robert Bresson)
Honorable mentions: Harakiri(dir. Masaki Kobayashi), Rocco and His Brothers(dir. Luchino Visconti), Winter Light(dir. Ingmar Bergman), Andrei Rublev(dir. Andrei Tarkovsky), The Pawnbroker(dir. Sidney Lumet), 2001: A Space Oddysey or Dr. Strangelove(dir. Stanley Kubrick), Psycho or The Birds(dir. Alfred Hitchcock), The Naked Kiss(dir. Samuel Fuller), and more...
1950's
1. In a Lonely Place(dir. Nicholas Ray)
2. Ace in the Hole(dir. Billy Wilder)
3. On Dangerous Ground(dir. Nicholas Ray)
4. Shadows(dir. John Cassavetes)
5. The Searchers(dir. John Ford)
6. Ashes and Diamonds(dir. Andzrej Wajda)
7. The Killing(dir. Stanley Kubrick)
8. Rear Window(dir. Alfred Hitchcock)
9. Vertigo(dir. Alfred Hitchcock)
10. Diary of a Country Priest(dir. Robert Bresson)
Honorable mentions: The Big Heat(dir. Fritz Lang), Kiss Me Deadly(dir. Robert Aldrich), The Steel Helmet(dir. Samuel Fuller)[maybe?], The Seventh Seal(dir. Ingmar Bergman), Hiroshima, Mon Amour(dir. Alain Resnais), and others that I most likely forgot about...
1950's(by year)
1950. In a Lonely Place(dir. Nicholas Ray)
1951. Ace in the Hole(dir. Billy Wilder)
1952. On Dangerous Ground(dir. Nicholas Ray)
1959. Shadows(dir. John Cassavetes)
1940's
1. My Darling Clementine(dir. John Ford)
2. The Lady From Shanghai(dir. Orson Welles)
1930's
1. You Only Live Once(dir. Fritz Lang)
2. Vampyr(dir. Carl Theodor Dreyer)
3. The Grand Illusion(dir. Jean Renoir)
4. Rules of the Game(dir. Jean Renoir)
UPDATE:
2000's(excluding 2008 release):
[i]The New World[/i][Extended Cut](dir. Terrence Malick)
[i]Miami Vice[/i](dir. Michael Mann)
[i]Fay Grim[/i](dir. Hal Hartley)
[i]Pat Garett and Billy the Kid[/i][2005 Cut](dir. Sam Peckinpah)
[i]George Washington[/i](dir. David Gordon Green)
[i]Mulholland Drive[/i](dir. David Lynch)
[i]Femme Fatale[/i](dir. Brian De Palma)
[i]Marie Antoinette[/i](dir. Sofia Coppola)
[i]Punch-Drunk Love[/i](dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)
[i]Pistol Opera[/i](dir. Seijun Suzuki)
[i]Lilya 4-Ever[/i](dir. Lukas Moodysson)
[i]INLAND EMPIRE[/i](dir. David Lynch)
[i]Death Proof[/i](dir. Quentin Tarantino)
[i]Platform[/i](dir. Jia Zhangke)
[i]Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy[/i](dir. Adam McKay)
[i]Twentynine Palms[/i](dir. Bruno Dumont)
[i]L'Enfant[/i](dir. Dardenne Brothers)
[i]The Girl From Monday[/i](dir. Hal Hartley)
[i]2046[/i](dir. Wong Kar-wai)
1990's:
[i]Henry Fool[/i](dir. Hal Hartley)
[i]Trust[/i](dir. Hal Hartley)
[i]Simple Men[/i](dir. Hal Hartley)
[i]Heat[/i](dir. Michael Mann)
[i]Clueless[/i](dir. Amy Heckerling)
[i]The Hole[/i](dir. Tsai Ming-liang)
[i]Vive L'Amour[/i](dir. Tsai Ming-liang)
[i]Rebels of the Neon God[/i](dir. Tsai Ming-liang)
[i]Show Me Love[/i]/[i]Fucking Åmål[/i](dir. Lukas Moodysson)
[i]First Comes Love[/i](dir. Su Friedrich)
[i]Small Deaths[/i](dir. Lynne Ramsay)
[i]Chungking Express[/i](dir. Wong Kar-wai)
[i]The Big Lebowski[/i](dir. Coen Brothers)
[i]Hard Boiled[/i](dir. John Woo)
[i]King of New York[/i](dir. Abel Ferrara)
1980's:
[i]Choose Me[/i](dir. Alan Rudolph)
[i]Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom[/i](dir. Steven Spielberg)
[i]Paris, Texas[/i](dir. Wim Wenders)
[i]L'Argent[/i](dir. Robert Bresson)
[i]The Sacrifice[/i](dir. Andrei Tarkovsky)
[i]The Ties That Bind[/i](dir. Su Friedrich)
1960's
[i]Titicut Follies[/i](dir. Frederick Wiseman)
[i]Woman in the Dunes[/i](dir. Hiroshi Teshigahara)
[i]Branded to Kill[/i](dir. Seijun Suzuki)
[i]Tokyo Drifter[/i](dir. Seijun Suzuki)
[i]Double Suicide[/i](dir. Masahiro Shinoda)
[i]The Wild Bunch[/i](dir. Sam Peckinpah)
[i]The Battle of Algiers[/i](dir. Gillo Pontrevico)
[i]Masculin, feminin[/i](dir. Jean-Luc Godard)
[i]Pierrot le Fou[/i](dir. Jean-Luc Godard)
[i]Andrei Rublev[/i](dir. Andrei Tarkovsky)
[i]Scorpio Rising[/i](dir. Kenneth Anger)
[i]Harakiri[/i](dir. Masaki Kobayashi)
[i]Rocco and His Brothers[/i](dir. Luchino Visconti)
[i]Mouchette[/i](dir. Robert Bresson)
[i]Through a Glass Darkly[/i](dir. Ingmar Bergman)
1950's
[i]In a Lonely Place[/i](dir. Nicholas Ray)
[i]Ace in the Hole[/i](dir. Billy Wilder)
[i]The Big Heat[/i](dir. Fritz Lang)
Friday, April 20, 2007
Oh Feeny...
The Graduate(dir. Mike Nichols)
I was really liking it for the first hour or so, but the last 45 minutes is built on such a filmsy foundation, that it is easy to see how it falters. Ben and Elaine went on one date. Maybe they went on more than one date, but to my knowledge, it seemed like they only went on one date. How do you fall in love with someone so badly to go through all the stuff Ben goes through from one date? Sure, it seemed like a real nice date after the whole strip club incident, but still. The whole idea that she thought he raped her mother and she didn't think to report to the authorties, even though the story is false, is insulting. The soundtrack is nice at first, but it became increasingly repetitive just played one or two songs over and over. The ending made me LOL. It was just completely ridiculous to see him tackle some people at a wedding and start swinging around a golden cross to keep them away. No wonder why Wayne's World 2 parodied it. You also grow to dislike Ben while the movie goes along. He goes to Berkley and basically terrorizes Elaine the whole time. The whole relationship after the first date and the fact that she took him back while he was basically annoying the hell out of her was unbelievable. Feeny and Mr. Roeper were in it, so that's always a plus. The first hour was really good and the final 45 minutes had some moments, but was pretty awful.
** out of ****
I was really liking it for the first hour or so, but the last 45 minutes is built on such a filmsy foundation, that it is easy to see how it falters. Ben and Elaine went on one date. Maybe they went on more than one date, but to my knowledge, it seemed like they only went on one date. How do you fall in love with someone so badly to go through all the stuff Ben goes through from one date? Sure, it seemed like a real nice date after the whole strip club incident, but still. The whole idea that she thought he raped her mother and she didn't think to report to the authorties, even though the story is false, is insulting. The soundtrack is nice at first, but it became increasingly repetitive just played one or two songs over and over. The ending made me LOL. It was just completely ridiculous to see him tackle some people at a wedding and start swinging around a golden cross to keep them away. No wonder why Wayne's World 2 parodied it. You also grow to dislike Ben while the movie goes along. He goes to Berkley and basically terrorizes Elaine the whole time. The whole relationship after the first date and the fact that she took him back while he was basically annoying the hell out of her was unbelievable. Feeny and Mr. Roeper were in it, so that's always a plus. The first hour was really good and the final 45 minutes had some moments, but was pretty awful.
** out of ****
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Oh Gene...
Bonnie and Clyde(dir. Arthur Penn)
One word: fun. It doesn't remain fun the whole time, but it's still pretty fun until the end.
***1/2 out of ****
One word: fun. It doesn't remain fun the whole time, but it's still pretty fun until the end.
***1/2 out of ****
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Oh "Charlie"...
The Naked Kiss(dir. Samuel Fuller)
Utterly cinematic. Great moments throughout. The scene where we find out the secret to her fiance is extremely haunting and actually handled amazingly well by Fuller, who steers to almost camp with other situations similar to this one. "Charlie" gives an especially nuanced performance. It kind of gets clunky near the end, but it still remained highly compelling.
**** out of ****
Happy Feet(dir. George Miller)
Too long. Animation shouldn't run this long because the stories are usually very simple and can't really last an almost two hour running time. It had moments that were nice and the political message was quite refreshing in an animated film. If it was shorter, it would have been way more enjoyable.
**1/2 out of ****
Utterly cinematic. Great moments throughout. The scene where we find out the secret to her fiance is extremely haunting and actually handled amazingly well by Fuller, who steers to almost camp with other situations similar to this one. "Charlie" gives an especially nuanced performance. It kind of gets clunky near the end, but it still remained highly compelling.
**** out of ****
Happy Feet(dir. George Miller)
Too long. Animation shouldn't run this long because the stories are usually very simple and can't really last an almost two hour running time. It had moments that were nice and the political message was quite refreshing in an animated film. If it was shorter, it would have been way more enjoyable.
**1/2 out of ****
Friday, March 30, 2007
Oh Gloria...
El Dorado(dir. Howard Hawks)
Has its moments. Wanna check out Rio Bravo now.
*** out of ****
Crossfire(dir. Edward Dmytryk)
Becomes kind of preachy when the detective starts talking about hate and why its bad, but I guess you have to expect that for the first Hollywood movie dealing with anti-semitism. Robert Ryan gave the best performance and Gloria Grahame, while gorgeous, just feels out of place in this movie. It started to pick up alot towards the end. The scene where Genny's husband started playing mindgames with Mitch was brilliant. It was quite compelling stuff.
***1/2 out of ****
Has its moments. Wanna check out Rio Bravo now.
*** out of ****
Crossfire(dir. Edward Dmytryk)
Becomes kind of preachy when the detective starts talking about hate and why its bad, but I guess you have to expect that for the first Hollywood movie dealing with anti-semitism. Robert Ryan gave the best performance and Gloria Grahame, while gorgeous, just feels out of place in this movie. It started to pick up alot towards the end. The scene where Genny's husband started playing mindgames with Mitch was brilliant. It was quite compelling stuff.
***1/2 out of ****
Monday, March 26, 2007
Oh Daniel...
Casino Royale(dir. Martin Campbell)
Is he the best Bond ever? Not sure. Definately better than Pierce Bronson. Agree with most of the critics about how its too long, which seems to be its biggest problem especially the whole section that was like a mini chick flick or something. I liked it.
*** out of ****
When a Women Ascends the Stairs(dir. Mikio Naruse)
I've been curious to Naruse since there has been no releases of his films pretty much anywhere and he is often compared to Ozu and Mizoguchi. This film was somewhat underwhelming. Sure, I probably liked it more than any of the previously named director's works that I have seen(feel like I need to rewatch Tokyo Story and Late Spring), but I guess I was expecting alot more. This, however, doesn't mean this film was bad or even just good. It was really good, but it wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be.
**** out of ****
Is he the best Bond ever? Not sure. Definately better than Pierce Bronson. Agree with most of the critics about how its too long, which seems to be its biggest problem especially the whole section that was like a mini chick flick or something. I liked it.
*** out of ****
When a Women Ascends the Stairs(dir. Mikio Naruse)
I've been curious to Naruse since there has been no releases of his films pretty much anywhere and he is often compared to Ozu and Mizoguchi. This film was somewhat underwhelming. Sure, I probably liked it more than any of the previously named director's works that I have seen(feel like I need to rewatch Tokyo Story and Late Spring), but I guess I was expecting alot more. This, however, doesn't mean this film was bad or even just good. It was really good, but it wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be.
**** out of ****
Monday, March 12, 2007
Oh Paris...
Branded to Kill(dir. Seijun Suzuki)
This movie is pretty much insane. Any movie that has a hero that gets turned on by the smell of hot rice is awesome in my book. Any movie that has the hero's love interest living in a house full of dead butterflies is also awesome in my book. I wouldn't say it is quite as good as Tokyo Drifter, but it's pretty close. Way way way better than Youth of the Beast.
**** out of ****
Double Indemnity(dir. Billy Wilder)
Is this the greatest film noir ever made? Not quite. Edward G. Robinson's character is quite awesome. The murder seemed sort of rushed because the guy did not seem like he knew the woman at all and was willing to kill her husband for her. This is a minor complaint, but yeah. Not quite as good as some of Fritz Lang's noirs or Kiss Me Deadly, but still really good.
**** out of ****
Brick(dir. Rian Johnson)
Stylish. Probably the best way to describe the whole experience. Transporting film noir into a high school is pretty unique even if it feels kind of strange. I can see how someone can despise this movie. I, however, liked it alot.
**** out of ****
This movie is pretty much insane. Any movie that has a hero that gets turned on by the smell of hot rice is awesome in my book. Any movie that has the hero's love interest living in a house full of dead butterflies is also awesome in my book. I wouldn't say it is quite as good as Tokyo Drifter, but it's pretty close. Way way way better than Youth of the Beast.
**** out of ****
Double Indemnity(dir. Billy Wilder)
Is this the greatest film noir ever made? Not quite. Edward G. Robinson's character is quite awesome. The murder seemed sort of rushed because the guy did not seem like he knew the woman at all and was willing to kill her husband for her. This is a minor complaint, but yeah. Not quite as good as some of Fritz Lang's noirs or Kiss Me Deadly, but still really good.
**** out of ****
Brick(dir. Rian Johnson)
Stylish. Probably the best way to describe the whole experience. Transporting film noir into a high school is pretty unique even if it feels kind of strange. I can see how someone can despise this movie. I, however, liked it alot.
**** out of ****
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Oh Anna...
Two Rode Together(dir. John Ford)
Probably the worst film I've seen by him, that's not as bad as it seems. It seems extremely uneven between comedy and serious social commentary. It brings up an interesting point about how the individuals in the town view on Indians is just as uncivilized as they claim the Indians to be. First movie I've seen by Ford that didn't have John Wayne or Henry Fonda in it. I don't find James Stewart a particularly convincing cowboy. It seemed to get alittle heavy handed at the end of it when it started to make the social commentary because everything leading up to it was pretty light and unserious. Decent.
*** out of ****
The Wild(dir. Steve "Spaz" Williams)
Better than Over the Hedge, but that is not saying much. Would have been better if it was only an hour, but as it is, it has pretty shallow story that quickly becomes dull.
** out of ****
Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio(dir. Jane Anderson)
Biggest issue with this movie is its portrayal of Woody Harrelson's character. He does some really stupid actions and I can easily understand how some of the characters in the picture do not view him in a very positive light, but he means well. He seems to throw tandrums, but you never see him really meaning to cause harm to his family or his wife. The only instance he does harm his wife, he seems to have an emotional breakdown and you almost feel more for him than his wife. The film's insistance to paint him as the "bad guy" in the narrative just makes it seem strange. The bits where it seems to making fun of 50's/60's consumerism just seemed out of place. Overall, a decent movie.
*** out of ****
Mermaids(dir. IDK)
Bob Hoskins is in it. A light comedic movie. Don't have anything really intelligent to say about it.
*** out of ****
Probably the worst film I've seen by him, that's not as bad as it seems. It seems extremely uneven between comedy and serious social commentary. It brings up an interesting point about how the individuals in the town view on Indians is just as uncivilized as they claim the Indians to be. First movie I've seen by Ford that didn't have John Wayne or Henry Fonda in it. I don't find James Stewart a particularly convincing cowboy. It seemed to get alittle heavy handed at the end of it when it started to make the social commentary because everything leading up to it was pretty light and unserious. Decent.
*** out of ****
The Wild(dir. Steve "Spaz" Williams)
Better than Over the Hedge, but that is not saying much. Would have been better if it was only an hour, but as it is, it has pretty shallow story that quickly becomes dull.
** out of ****
Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio(dir. Jane Anderson)
Biggest issue with this movie is its portrayal of Woody Harrelson's character. He does some really stupid actions and I can easily understand how some of the characters in the picture do not view him in a very positive light, but he means well. He seems to throw tandrums, but you never see him really meaning to cause harm to his family or his wife. The only instance he does harm his wife, he seems to have an emotional breakdown and you almost feel more for him than his wife. The film's insistance to paint him as the "bad guy" in the narrative just makes it seem strange. The bits where it seems to making fun of 50's/60's consumerism just seemed out of place. Overall, a decent movie.
*** out of ****
Mermaids(dir. IDK)
Bob Hoskins is in it. A light comedic movie. Don't have anything really intelligent to say about it.
*** out of ****
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